The rise of the affordable ute! Buyers flocking to 2023 GWM Ute, LDV T60 and SsangYong Musso as wait times for Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux blow out

It seems more and more Australians aren’t willing to wait upwards of 12 months for their new Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux 4x4 utes, and are instead turning to affordable options served up by GWM, LDV and SsangYong.

To the end of May this year, each of the three budget-option 4x4 utes have more than doubled their sales compared to the same period last year, with GWM’s Ute leading the charge.

Having found 4081 new homes for its 4x4 Ute so far this year, the GWM workhorse is currently outpacing the Nissan Navara (2973) and edging closer to the Mitsubishi Triton (5471) and Mazda BT-50 (5864).

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The GWM Ute’s year-to-date figure is a substantial 178 per cent increase over the same period last year, which the brand’s Head of Marketing Steve Maciver chalked up to momentum from the 13th best-selling brand so far in 2023.

Maciver also added there is freer supply of the Ute in 2023 compared to last year, as well as new variants coming into the range as an impetuous for increased sales activity.

He admitted that GWM is seeing a lot of conquest sales from other brands, but stopped short of naming the brands the Chinese carmaker was stealing customers away from.

However, with extended wait times for headline models like the Ranger and HiLux, as well as ballooning costs of established players, it’s not hard to see the GWM Ute increase in popularity.

GWM recently bulked out its Ute line-up with the addition of a flagship Cannon-XSR priced from $51,490 drive-away for ABN holders, designed to lure buyers away from the likes of a Ranger Wildtrak.

GWM has found 4081 new homes for its 4x4 Ute so far this year. (Image: Mark Oastler)

At the entry point though, a GWM Cannon-L will set buyers back $42,490.

Meanwhile, LDV is also enjoying strong interest in the T60 Max 4x4 ute, which has accumulated 3753 sales so far this year, a steep 182.4 per cent jump from 2022’s figures.

LDV Australia Spokesperson Oliver Peagam said strong interest is the result of various factors.

“It would be a combination of powerful 160kW engine, strong specifications, sharp pricing, balanced supply, good stock levels and more,” he said.

“We’ve been steadily building our footprint and offering since 2014, supported by good relationships with SMCV (SAIC Motor Commercial Vehicles) in China and a dedicated national dealer network who understand the market and, importantly, what the customers want.

LDV's T60 Max 4x4 ute has accumulated 3753 sales so far this year.

“Factor all this together – along with our growing presence in the commercial EV space – and LDV is now one of the leading OEMs in Australia, with more to come.”

LDV is also the first, and currently only, brand to offer an all-electric ute in Australia in the form of its eT60, though it is available exclusively in 4x2 guise and retails for $92,990 before on-road costs.

However, it’s diesel-powered T60 Max line-up can be had from as little as $41,042 drive-away for the Pro manual, extending to $49,463 for the Luxe Megatub.

Finally, SsangYong’s Musso/Musso XLV is also experiencing a strong start to 2023 with sales up 295 per cent to the end of May to 1580 units.

SsangYong Australia has attributed the interest in strong word-of-mouth from customers, as well as its market-leading seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty that also applies for commercial purposes.

SsangYong has found 1580 new homes for it's Musso/Musso XLV ute so far this year. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

The Musso range kicks off from $35,790 for the ELX, but stretches up to $43,590 for the Ultimate XLV.

Compare the Ute, T60 Max and Musso’s price points to the most affordable Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux 4x4 dual-cab utes, which are respectively the XL priced at $50,180 before on-road costs and the Workmate manual for $47,675, and it is little wonder why price sensitive buyers are flocking to the Chinese and Korean brands.

Pairing the affordability with freer supply and shorter wait times means buyers can have a 4x4 dual-cab ute on their driveway sooner with more money left over, resulting in the steep rise in sales of these new ute players.